The BBC News site recently changed the way its 'Magazine' articles are listed in its RSS feed, with the result that the server-side script we use to dynamically update the link from the Smash Flops home page didn't find the new edition until Monday -- during Sunday the link pointed to the previous week's 'A Point Of View'. This week they've made more of a feature of the column, perhaps as a result of the Orwell award, with the result that our link was bang up to date today!

In this week's A Point Of View, Clive James, in admiring the talent of Amy Winehouse, makes mention of his own record as a lyricist. On rap artist 'Snoop Dogg' he writes, "As a lyricist who has made no more than a few hundred pounds over the course of a whole career, I try not to speak ill of any lyricist (sic) who makes thousands of pounds a week, even when I can't understand what he is talking about. In Snoop Dogg's case I'm not sure that I'm meant to."

I am ashamed to admit that I am so non-au fait these days (not for nothing am I known in certain obscure quarters of the Web as "Urban Hermit") that I have no clear memory of ever hearing Amy Winehouse sing, though of course even I haven't been able to avoid picking up on some rumours of her "car crash of a life-style" (thank you, Rob, a lovely way of phrasing it).

But if a man of discernment like Clive, a life-time music veteran like Humphrey Lyttleton, and our own Naomi, who, as a talented singer herself, really ought to know what she's talking about, all unite to sing the praises of her talent, I can't help thinking that there must be something to it.

I guess I'll have to make some effort to hear her. Whether I will actually like her is, as they say, another story.

You're not the only one, Richard. Apart from the 'Urban Hermit' bit (and my relative absence of shame!) your post fits my situation precisely. I'm constantly surprised at Clive's familiarity with current popular culture (and not-so-current: I only had the faintest impression of ever having heard the 'Rhythm Stick' ditty prior to Clive's recent outing of his regard for it). Still, he's still showbiz, isn't he?